Nutritional Yeast: What It Is And How To Use It
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Nutritional yeast comes from a species of yeast known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This yeast is similar to the yeast that is used in brewing and baking, expect that it doesn’t cause the food to rise as undergoes a heating and drying process that renders it inactive.
To produce nutritional yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are grown on a glucose rich medium like molasses for several days. Once ready, it is deactivated with heat and then harvested, washed, dried and packaged.
It is popularly used as a plant-based substitute for cheese due to its cheesy, savoury and nutty flavour and can be found either in powder or flake form.
Nutritional yeast is free of gluten, soy, sugar & fats, and is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and complete protein as it contains all 9 essential amino acids. It is sometimes even called a “superfood” because of its high-protein, low-fat and nutrient-dense value.
Nutritional Yeast Nutrition Facts
The following nutrition information is provided by the USDA for 16 grams (around 1.5 tablespoons) of nutritional yeast.
- Calories: 60
- Fat: 0.5g
- Sodium: 30mg
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugars: 0g
- Protein: 8g
(Nutritional information source – https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1744022/nutrients)
HOW TO USE NUTRITIONAL YEAST:
- Sprinkled over popcorn, nachos or nuts
- Added to salad dressings and sauces.
- Can be used as a thickener for soups.
- In dishes that require parmesan cheese.
- Use it to make Vegan Mac and Cheese.
- Season tofu, plant-based meat or roasted veggies
- Mixed in with rice, sandwiches, risotto or aby stuffing
*Insert shopping link – Urban Platter Nutritional Yeast and Nutritional Flakes*
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